A well-reasoned, if smug, case against the inerrancy of the Bible.
In this book, a Christian abandons his faith after discovering discrepancies in the Bible.
Born and raised a Christian, Casso remained faithful into adulthood and devoted Saturdays to in-depth studies of the Bible, which he believed to be the inerrant word of God. But while he was examining the book of Daniel, the author’s faith was shaken when he found a key difference between Christian and Jewish translations of Chapter 9. While Christian translations of the passage prophesize the coming of a redemptive Messiah, Jewish ones instead point to a military general. This incongruity led Casso to question the veracity of the entire Bible. As a trained lawyer, he applied his deductive reasoning skills to dismantle other Old Testament passages that Christians for millennia have claimed were prophesies fulfilled by the coming of Jesus. The second half of the work turns to the Gospels themselves, beginning with the “strange and irreconcilable genealogies of Jesus” that open Matthew and Luke. Other incongruent Gospel stories about the life of Jesus are discussed in a series of accessible and concise chapters. The book concludes with a reflective commentary of how Casso’s outlook on life changed following his transition from a devout Christian to a “qualified atheist.” Some Christians and skeptics may critique the volume for not seriously engaging with the library of writings by actual biblical scholars, who have long grappled with the same textual issues highlighted by the author. But this is an intentional move by Casso, who, “like the trained prosecutor” he is in his professional life, turns the words of the Bible against itself and shows how “the Christian Bible takes quite a beating at its own hands.” His arguments are well reasoned and convincing, though they too often rely on dismantling passages in the King James Version, a translation that many Christians acknowledge is far from perfect. Moreover, some Christians willing to hear the book’s case may be put off not by the arguments but rather by the author’s haughty and dismissive tone.
A well-reasoned, if smug, case against the inerrancy of the Bible. (epilogue, references, bibliography)Pub Date: June 7, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 440
Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 22, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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